Data-Driven Fasting Challenge – July 2022 Results

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We wanted to celebrate the fantastic results from participants of our 16th Data-Driven Fasting Challenge (23 July to 21 August 2022)! 

It’s incredible to see so many people getting great results again as they use their blood glucose the Data-Driven Fasting app to guide WHAT and WHEN they eat.    

Click here to try the DDF app
Contents

Weight Loss

The table below shows the leaderboard (in lbs) ranked by weight loss as a percentage of their starting weight.  As you can see, there was some tremendous weight loss in just four weeks! 

NameStartFinishChange%
Emily160147138.1%
Brendan  228212156.8%
Julie178167116.4%
David15514696.0%
Kathy209197125.7%
Anthony195185105.3%
Sue185175105.2%
Burt235223125.2%
Susan257244134.9%
David16015284.9%
Dorrie14513874.8%

The Data-Driven Fasting app is like a dashboard for your metabolism that enables you to monitor and manage the most critical parameters for answering the most vital questions in nutrition: ‘WHEN should I eat?’ and ‘WHAT should I eat?’

Click here to try the DDF app

As Optimisers learn to manage their pre-meal blood glucose, post-meal and waking glucose look after themselves and fall into place.  It’s exciting to see so many people moving from the prediabetes range to healthy normal blood glucose in such a short amount of time!

The ‘secret’ to DDF is simply learning to use your blood glucose as a fuel gauge to determine when and what you eat.  Some people with elevated glucose see their blood sugars fall significantly, but you don’t have to decrease your glucose much to make progress. 

Blood Glucose

The table below shows starting and ending blood glucose levels (in mg/dL) from the challenge. 

Name StartFinishChange%
Christine132765642%
Christy147876041%
Melanie150925839%
Alicia1971217639%
Sue138885036%
Pam1761146235%
Kira117764135%
Christopher2091377234%
Lisa1761166034%
Stephanie104703433%
Christine132765642%
Christy147876041%

In a world awash with Type-2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome, we’re thrilled to see so many people reporting such massive improvements in their blood sugars. 

Fat Loss

Check out the top 10 leaderboard for fat loss below.  Keep in mind these results are from just four weeks of DDF!  

NameStart (lbs)Finish (lbs)Change (lbs)%
Yvo19.013.06.032%
David16.713.82.917%
Hart37.131.75.415%
Louise34.530.83.711%
Ann Marie25.022.52.510%
Tracy39.235.43.810%
Goran36.933.63.39%
Anthony32.730.12.68%
David17.015.71.38%
Rebecca37.935.12.87%
Jeri37.334.92.46%

Who knew the ‘secret’ to fat loss is to manage your blood glucose levels before you eat? 

As you learn to make better choices to give your body what it needs with less energy from carbohydrates—which raise your blood glucose—and fat—which keep your blood glucose elevated—your body can get on with draining your excess fat stores. 

Secret: Data-Driven Fasting Isn’t Really Fasting

While we designed Data-Driven Fasting to correct many of the issues we saw with popular fasting approaches, DDF isn’t really fasting. 

Instead, it’s also taken on the nicknames ‘Glucose-Guided Eating’ and ‘Data-Driven Fuelling’ because it simply helps you determine the best time to eat your meals.  Hence, as other approaches recommend, you don’t have to exert excessive willpower and go days without eating. 

People making exceptional progress still manage to eat at least twice daily throughout the DDF challenge. 

Using your glucose as a fuel gauge can help you identify exactly when your body needs to refuel without waiting so long that you make less-than-optimal choices. 

DDF teaches you that you can still eat regularly and progress—and that it’s important to eat even if your goal is weight loss!  This ensures you get the nutrients your body requires to prevent triggering your survival and binge instincts. 

Words of Wisdom from our Optimisers

I always love hearing words of wisdom to newbies from people who have just completed a challenge!  The observations are often most apparent when the learnings are recent.  Here are some fresh tips from our Optimisers:  

Spend some time every day listening to your body.  The data drives your choices, at least at first.  But you are not the data!  Check things like hunger, mood, response to food choices, hydration, strength and sleep to learn how they correlate with the numbers. 

-Tamara

Don’t fuss over every blood glucose reading.  You cannot control it, but you can gradually create an environment where your glucose normalises.  It takes time.  Usually months, not weeks. 

-Trish

Don’t overthink this process.  Don’t compare yourself with others-this is truly an n = 1 program.  Get to know the other members and participate in the discussion.  

-Wendy 

Trust the process, and stay true to your regular eating plan during baselining.  Read the daily lessons.  Learn to love your scale, glucometer, and tape measure on good and bad days and use them DAILY. 

-Brigitt

Follow the DDF plan and take it slow.  There is much to learn about yourself: hunger signals, your personal blood glucose ups and downs, carb tolerance, and more.  Number two would be to track whatever data and measurements matter to you. 

-Sarah

Set time aside to make it work!  Make an appointment with yourself to read the materials and allow enough time for checking your glucose, preparing food, etc.  Don’t feel like you have to get it all right the first time.  Make one change at a time!  Layer on new habits after you adjust to the last one. 

-Tammy  

Focus less on ‘being good and winning’ and more on ‘getting better and learning.’  This is about finding something that works for you for the next 20 years.  USE YOUR NICEST INTERNAL VOICE.  YOU GOT THIS.  Make sure this isn’t stressful.  Enjoy and engage with the community.  Smile more! 

-Chris

We’re most thankful for our vibrant community of people helping each other and sharing the journey!

Try the DDF App

If you’re interested in identifying your trigger and using your glucose to guide your eating, we’d love you to try a free trial of our DDF app. 

Click here to try the DDF app

We’ve just opened it up so people can try it out without being part of our DDF Challenges! 

As a bonus, you’ll also get access to the self-guided DDF Program inside our Optimising Nutrition Community.

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